Collapsible armchair



Jan., 4, i938. L. J. GARBACCIO COLLAPS I BLE ARMCHAIR Filed June 19, 1937 A TTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j COLLAPSIBLEy ARMCHAIR Leto J. Garbaccio, North Bergen, N. J.

Application June 19, 1937, Serial No. 149,193

`4. Claims. (Cl. 155-148) The invention relates to collapsible armchairs and has for its main purpose to produce an armchair which may readily be folded up so as to occupy very small space. Another object is to construct the chair so light in weight that it may easily be carried from place to place. Afurther object is to so proportion and construct the seat and back rest of the chair that, when the chair is -folded, they will act as covers for the chair itself so that the chair will practically be enclosed in these parts.

A still further object is to so construct the f chair that it may be set up or folded with minimum expenditure of labor and without the requirement of any great skill by the operator. Additional objects are to construct a chair of this type which, while Very light in weight, will still be strong and rigid and able. to support a heavy weight; which is neat in appearance; and which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

These and various other objects and advantages will be readily understood from the following description and from the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which, however, modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the drawing, y

Fig. 1 is a side view of the chair shown set up for use;

Fig. 2 is a front view of saine;

Fig. 3 is a plan view;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental, plan View of the seat and one of its supporting members;

Fig. 5 shows one of the steps employed in folding the chair; and

Fig. 6 shows the chair folded to the position in which ordinarily carried.

Referring now to all the views simultaneously, the chair consists of four tubular legs I0. On each side of the chair a pair of braces II and I2 have their lower ends pivoted, as at I3 and I4, near the lower ends of the legs. These braces are also pivoted where they cross at I5 and their upper ends are pivoted at I6 and I1v to two Aarms I8 and I9, which in turn are pivoted to the legs at 2l) and ZI. The free ends of the arms I8 and I9 are provided with sidewardly-extending detents 22 and 23, which prevent the. legs from beend pivoted at 29 to the leg on which the sleeve 21 slides, while its upper end is pivoted at 30 to another sliding sleeve 3|, which is free to slide on the leg to which the lower end of the bracket 24 is pivoted. When the chair is spread as far apart as shown in Fig. 2, the sleeves rest on the arm I9, as plainly shown in Fig. 2, so that the legs cannot be spread any further. The braces 24 and 28 are pivoted at the center by a shouldered rivet 32. This rivet is plainly shown in Fig. 3. Similar braces are employed on the rear of the chair and are similarly numbered.

The seat 33 is preferably made of heavy canvas or other suitable material. I-lerns are made on opposite sides of the seat and in these hems spacing bars 34 are inserted. The outer ends of these spacing' bars are provi-ded with bifurcated me'rnbers 35 and 36 which rit over the front and rear legs and which, when the seat is i`n place, rest on top of the sliding sleeves 21 and 3l. The spacing bars are made of such length that they will hold the legs in exactly the same position as the braces allow the legs to be parted. A tting 31 is placed on the upper end of each rear leg and another fitting 38 on the upper end of each front leg. Leather straps 39 have their rear ends permanently secured to the fittings 31 by means of rivets 4U, while the front end of the leather straps pass over the ttings 38 which are provided with semi-circular tops 4I.

A clamp 42 is swingably mounted on the tting 38 and two buttons 43 are riveted on the leather straps themselves, so that any weight placed on the leather straps will cause the buttons to engage With the clamp 42 and clamp it against the fitting 38. A back rest 44 is preferably made of canvas and is mounted on the upper end of two levers 45. The lower ends of these levers are pivoted to the arms I8. The levers are supported in an angular groove 46 extending sidewardly from a slot 41 formed in the fitting 31. This slot prevents rearward displacement of the back rest and secures it firmly to the chair when this is set up as shown.

The manner in which the chair is folded is best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. The first step is to remove the seat by pulling out the spacing members 34. Next the side legs are pushed towards each other as indicated by the arrows 48 and 49 in Fig. 2. This causes the sleeves 21 and 3| to L occupy the positions right up under the fittings 31 and 38, as shown in Fig. 5. The front and rear legs are next pushed together as indicated by the arrows 5|! and 5I in Fig. 5. As the front and rear legs are pushed together the back rest levers oted to the legs; the crossed braces pivoted at 45 are pushed upwardly and consequently out of the groove 4B. At the same time the straps 39 are drawn down over the front legs as shown.

After the front and rear legs have been folded completely together, the back rest is swung down, as indicated by the dotted lines 52 until they rest against Vthe rear legs. All of the partsrare now completely folded up. The next step is to fold the canvas of the back rest 44 around the folded part, as shown in Fig. 6. After this the canvas seat 33 is folded around the uncovered part, as also shown in Fig. 6 and finally a carrying strap 53 is secured around the package formed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this chair is easy to fold and easy to set up, and then, when folded, will occupy but very small space so that it may readily be carried from place to place.

Having described the invention and its objects,

what I claim as new and wish to protect by Let--VV ters Patent isz- Y 1. A collapsible chair of the class described comprising four leg members; crossed braces secured on opposite sides of the chair; the lower ends of said braces pivoted near the lower ends of the legs and the upper ends to arms also pivthe points where they overlap each other; detents formed on the arms forY engagement with the braces when the front and rear legs are separated the desired distance; crossed braces secured to the front and rear legs with their lower ends pivoted near the lower ends of the legs and their upper ends pivoted to sleeves slidingly mounted on the legs; pivots likewise inserted in these braces where they overlap each other; the sliding sleeves adapted to rest on the arms connected with the side braces when the legs are separated the required distance; spacing bars, having bifurcated end members for engagement with the front and rear legs and adapted to rest on the sleeves; a fabric seat secured on said spacing bars; and the spacing bars made of such length as to hold the front and rear legs separated the required distance.

2. A collapsible chair of the class described comprising four leg members; crossed braces secured on opposite sides of the chair; the lower ends of said braces pivoted near the lower ends of the legs and the upper ends to arms also pivoted to the legs; the crossed braces ypivoted at the points where they overlap each other; detents formed on the arms for engagement with the braces when the front and rear legs are separated the desired distance; crossed braces secured to the front and rear legs with their lower ends pivoted near the lower ends of the legs and their upper ends pivoted to sleeves slidingly mounted on the legs; pivots likewise inserted in Vthese braces Where they overlap each other; the sliding sleeves adapted to rest on the arms connected with the side braces when the legs are separated the required distance; spacing bars, having bifurcated end members for engagement with the front and rear legs and adapted torest on the sleeves; a'fabric seat secured on said spacing bars; the spacing bars made of such length as to hold the front and rear legs separated the required distance; and two side bars, having their lower ends pivoted to the rear arms on the sides of the chair and their upper ends secured lto a fabric backrest, adapted to be held in an inclined position in slotted fittings secured on the upper ends of.

the rear legs.

3. A collapsible chair of the class described comprising four leg members; crossed braces secured on opposite sides of the chair; the lower ends of said braces pivoted near the lower ends of the legs and the upper ends to arms also pivoted to the legs; the crossed braces pivoted at the points where they overlap each other; detents formed on the arms for engagement with the braces when the front and rear legs are separated the desired distance; crossed braces secured tothe front and rear legs with their lower ends pivoted near the lower ends of the legs and their upper endspivoted to sleeves slidingly mounted Von the. legs; pivots likewise inserted inAthese braces where they overlap each other; the sliding sleeves adapted to rest on the arms connected with the side braces when the legs are separated the required distance; spacing bars, having bifurcated end members for. engagement with the front and rear legs and adapted to rest on the sleeves; a fabric seat secured on said spacing bars; the spacing bars made of such length as to hold the front and rear legs separated the required'distance; two side bars, having their lower ends pivoted to the rear arms on the sides of the chair and their upper ends secured to a fabric backrest, adapted to be heldin an inclined position in slotted fittings secured on the upperends of the rear legs; and two straps, attached to said slotted fittings andclamped to fittings secured on top of the front legs, for forming a pair of arm rests.

4. A collapsible Vchair of the class described comprising four leg members; crossed braces secured on opposite sides of the chair, the lower ends of said braces pivoted near the lower ends of Ythe legs and the `upperends to arms also pivoted to the legs; the crossed braces pivoted at the points where they overlap each other; detents formed on the arms for engagement with the braces when the front and rear legs are separated the desired distance; crossed bracesV secured to the front and rear legs with their lower ends pivoted nearv thelower ends ofthe legsY and their upper ends pivoted to sleeves slidingly mounted on the legs; pivots likewise inserted in rthese braces where they overlap each other; the sliding sleeves adapted to rest on` the arms connected with the side braces when the legs are separated the required distance; spacing bars, having bifurcated end members for engagement with the front and rear legs andadapted to rest on the sleeves; a fabric seat secured on said spacing bars; the spacing bars made detachable from the legs and of such length as to hold the front and rear legs separated the required distance; two side bars, having their lower ends pivoted to the rear arms on the sides of the chair and their upper ends secured to a fabric back-rest, adapted to be held in an inclined position in Vslotted ttingssecured on the upper ends ofthe rear legs; two straps,

attached to said slotted fittings and clamped to fittings secured on top of the front legs, for forming a pair of arm rests; and the fabric seat and back rest so proportioned to the size of the chair that they will act as a cover for all the parts of 'the chair when the seat and spacing bars are removed, the back-rest side bars folded down, and the other parts of the chair collapsed.

Y LETO J .'GARBACCIO. 

